News New Haunted Mansion Grounds Expansion, Retail Shop Coming to Disneyland Resort in 2024

[mickEblu]

Oh wow, I was really misinterpreting the concept art.

Anyone else have a weird affection for the ugly switchbacks? I’ll miss them, ha.

Lol not specifically for the switchbacks but for that area yes. To me it really did feel like you were on the side of some abandoned estate kind of nooked between the mansion, planters and that glorious berm with the Ivy. Not sure if it will retain that seem feel.

 

[Mickey's Pal]

As long as they don't put any of the goofy gags that the Florida Mansion has in its outdoor que I am fine with it. I don't get the gift shop though. Never needed one before so that is odd to me.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I am confused about this project. I feel like I need to re-read everything and stare at the concept art a bit more.

 

[Californian Elitist]

As long as they don't put any of the goofy gags that the Florida Mansion has in its outdoor que I am fine with it. I don't get the gift shop though. Never needed one before so that is odd to me.

I said the exact same thing and even used the exact same word: “goofy.” Keep the goofy gimmicks out.

 

[D.Silentu]

Musing on the artwork, I wish they would have moved the new pet cemetery to the garden queue. I've always thought it was awkwardly placed, but conceded they had no better spot for it until now.

 

[TP2000]

I guess I thought that concept art was showing the front corner of the mansion, with the trellis in-front of that. Didn't realize we were looking at the side of the mansion.

Mostly because it seems to show the lawns as we currently know them?

We are sure that's not the front left corner of the mansion?

It looks like the artwork is looking due south, from in front of the Mansion itself. We are up in the treetops between the Haunted Mansion and the Harbor Galley, looking due south towards Tiana's Palace in this view.

Here's some labeling to help. The blue line and everything below it is the existing Haunted Mansion lawn and garden area that has existed since 1969. "MONSANTO" is the existing front AstroTurf lawn. The "Existing" walkway is the one that goes south past the front porch and then the smaller tombstones on your right, then turns into the existing 1969 switchback area.

The ADA EXIT is the new elevator facility that comes up from the loading area that is underneath the berm.

I also added in the DLRR tracks just to the west of that ADA exit area, where the train tracks always have been.

The "NEW EXTENDED CUE" is the area to the south of all the pre-existing stuff. This is where the currently abandoned Fastpass area is, and/or the temporary rope switchbacks they often set up in "Magnolia Park". It seems as though they want a space for extended lines that aren't in temporary ropes out in the common area. And/or this could be an area for Jack Skellington meet n' greets at Halloween. I think this is a good idea.

 

[DrAlice]

Yay! Shade over the switchbacks!!!!

This is soooo much better than the haphazard placement of umbrellas they have now. My experience in that hot and sunburn-y section of the line this summer was awful. People would cluster around what little shade was available and refuse to move forward until the next bit of shade opened up ahead of them. All the shouting cast members in the world isn't going to get people to move in off the walkways when it is 90+ degrees outside and there are not enough umbrellas. This is a positive move.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

The greenhouse portion of the queue reminds me of Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey queue through and under an old, elegant, and massive greenhouse.

 

[SuddenStorm]

As long as they don't put any of the goofy gags that the Florida Mansion has in its outdoor que I am fine with it. I don't get the gift shop though. Never needed one before so that is odd to me.

I imagine this means they'll be repurposing the current Haunted Mansion store that's in New Orleans Square?

 

[PiratesMansion]

Oh wow, I was really misinterpreting the concept art.

Anyone else have a weird affection for the ugly switchbacks? I’ll miss them, ha.

After waiting in them multiple days when it was over 90 degrees this summer? Absolutely not.

Florida's tarps are ugly as sin, but at least the guests are covered!

 

[PiratesMansion]

Am I missing something from the concept art? Because what I feel like I saw seems to conflict wildly with what some others are seeing.

It looks to me like, fountain aside, Magnolia Park is basically preserved, right? And the Mansion queue is being rerouted, so the area that will be there will actually be able to be appreciated more instead of being commandeered into an overflow queue on a regular basis, right?

The existence of a Haunted Mansion shop should, theoretically, allow some of the Mansion junk outside of NOS proper and perhaps allow more land-appropriate shops/merch.

The handicapped exit elevator should help HM traffic for everyone.

Therefore, this is basically a win-win-win-win situation, yes?

 

[TP2000]

The greenhouse portion of the queue reminds me of Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey queue through and under an old, elegant, and massive greenhouse.

If I'm reading this correctly, and remembering how we came up those "backstage" stairs from the loading area during the breakdown, this is where the elevator for folks in wheelchairs will be. The new ADA Elevator exit.

On this messy overlaid schematic, I put the exit route someone in a wheelchair would take from the loading area out to the elevator lift that sits under the new greenhouse. You can see the interior backstage hallways already there underground in this schematic, and that's exactly how I remembered them when we were exited out during the breakdown. And right where we came out at where the greenhouse is shown.

I also added the location of the new gift shop on the opposite side of the Mansion, where the old Splash Mountain Fastpass area is now. Does this help? Or just confuse us more?

 

[zipadee999]

If I'm reading this correctly, and remembering how we came up those "backstage" stairs from the loading area during the breakdown, this is where the elevator for folks in wheelchairs will be. The new ADA Elevator exit.

On this messy overlaid schematic, I put the exit route someone in a wheelchair would take from the loading area out to the elevator lift that sits under the new greenhouse. You can see the interior backstage hallways already there underground in this schematic, and that's exactly how I remembered them when we were exited out during the breakdown. And right where we came out at where the greenhouse is shown.

I also added the location of the new gift shop on the opposite side of the Mansion, where the old Splash Mountain Fastpass area is now. Does this help? Or just confuse us more?



View attachment 739884

Thanks for all the insight and info. This is making a lot more sense now and has me quite excited!

 

[TP2000]

It looks to me like, fountain aside, Magnolia Park is basically preserved, right? And the Mansion queue is being rerouted, so the area that will be there will actually be able to be appreciated more instead of being commandeered into an overflow queue on a regular basis, right?

The existence of a Haunted Mansion shop should, theoretically, allow some of the Mansion junk outside of NOS proper and perhaps allow more land-appropriate shops/merch.

The handicapped exit elevator should help HM traffic for everyone.

Therefore, this is basically a win-win-win-win situation, yes?

Yes, exactly.

This is stuff that should have been done a decade or more ago. But they just kept trying to wrestle the original 1969 layout into submission for the 21st century instead. It never really worked, and it was often very messy and inefficient. No matter how many new poles they drilled into the ground, or how many patio umbrellas they installed, it was always just a mess.

The only thing I would add is down in the loading area, for the ability to pull individual Doombuggies completely offline and allow folks in wheelchairs to take all the time they need to board and disembark, while the regular Omnimover just keeps moving along through the Show as it was intended to do. But that would obviously be a HUGE undertaking.

Otherwise, this is a great upgrade and rethink of how to operate the Haunted Mansion for 21st century audiences.

 

[TP2000]

Thanks for all the insight and info. This is making a lot more sense now and has me quite excited!

I think what threw people off is that aerial view showing the new Magnolia Park area from above the existing Mansion lawn, as it was a viewpoint taken looking south. Most people think of the top of an image as looking north, but in this case the artwork looks to the south.

Plus a lot of artistic liberty was taken with scale and exact placement of walls and the Mansion itself.

Artists are very talented, but they can be difficult.

Here's a satellite image of the area shown in the artwork, but the blue wedge shows the angle from which the artwork is drawn. Looking almost due South instead of North.

The Gold Star is the point up in the treetops where the artwork is drawn from. The brown grid with purple wisteria bits is the new trellis over the existing switchbacks. The tan pie shape is the newly enclosed extended cue space where some of Magnolia Park is now. And the bright green greenhouse alongside the Disneyland Railroad tracks is the structure that will cover the new ADA Elevator bringing wheelchairs up from the loading area, where the abandoned Fastpass distribution area is now.

 

[CaptinEO]

Yes, exactly.

This is stuff that should have been done a decade or more ago. But they just kept trying to wrestle the original 1969 layout into submission for the 21st century instead. It never really worked, and it was often very messy and inefficient. No matter how many new poles they drilled into the ground, or how many patio umbrellas they installed, it was always just a mess.

The only thing I would add is down in the loading area, for the ability to pull individual Doombuggies completely offline and allow folks in wheelchairs to take all the time they need to board and disembark, while the regular Omnimover just keeps moving along through the Show as it was intended to do. But that would obviously be a HUGE undertaking.

Otherwise, this is a great upgrade and rethink of how to operate the Haunted Mansion for 21st century audiences.

Couldn't agree more. It's good to see the park make a positive change. I've been in the sun many times waiting for the Haunted Mansion and it needs the shade.

The whole area around Haunted Mansion becomes a mess on any moderately busy day. I hope they make more changes to the park that benefit the guest. Radiator Springs single rider needs some shade ASAP.

I remember there was a rumor for Project Stardust that the Christmas shop by Peter Pan was going to be converted into an indoor queue. Surprised this never happened.

 

[Phroobar]

I hope the extended queue doesn't have the gadgets of the Florida version. Disneyland is beyond that kind of thing. However I hope the store is themed to a carriage house.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Isn't Mansion one of those attractions that rarely had a long queue until the introduction of Fastpass messed things up and created a lot of entry space? Similar to Indy where everyone waits outside now and the interior caves are largely empty.

Is this just a solution to a problem Disney created?

 

[ParkPeeker]

Plus a lot of artistic liberty was taken with scale and exact placement of walls and the Mansion itself.

The placement of the mansion is what makes the art unnecessarily confusing, the pet cemetery should have been enough for people to orient themselves but they just had to add the side of the mansion to maybe try to help ppl understand it? it just makes it more confusing tho lol.

good job with all the visual explanations tho, they're very helpful

 

[mickEblu]

It looks like the artwork is looking due south, from in front of the Mansion itself. We are up in the treetops between the Haunted Mansion and the Harbor Galley, looking due south towards Tiana's Palace in this view.

Here's some labeling to help. The blue line and everything below it is the existing Haunted Mansion lawn and garden area that has existed since 1969. "MONSANTO" is the existing front AstroTurf lawn. The "Existing" walkway is the one that goes south past the front porch and then the smaller tombstones on your right, then turns into the existing 1969 switchback area.

The ADA EXIT is the new elevator facility that comes up from the loading area that is underneath the berm.

I also added in the DLRR tracks just to the west of that ADA exit area, where the train tracks always have been.

The "NEW EXTENDED CUE" is the area to the south of all the pre-existing stuff. This is where the currently abandoned Fastpass area is, and/or the temporary rope switchbacks they often set up in "Magnolia Park". It seems as though they want a space for extended lines that aren't in temporary ropes out in the common area. And/or this could be an area for Jack Skellington meet n' greets at Halloween. I think this is a good idea.

View attachment 739879

Oh wow. Im so confused. I thought I was looking at the back left corner of the Mansion. So that means that existing path will end up being shortened and make its turn at the front left corner of the Mansion? Are you sure? If you are correct then that new extended queue does indeed eat into the left lawn… I think. Haha. Can somebody with with editing skills superimpose this on an overview of the Haunted Mansion grounds?